Residents: GenX contamination must be stopped

Saturday

Residents who live near the Chemours plant want the state to take a tougher stance against the company.

About 100 people responded to the state Department of Environmental Quality’s request for feedback on a proposed court order that would require Chemours to reduce or eliminate the impact of GenX.

The department said last month that it was proposing the court order. The deadline for comments was Wednesday.

Chemours makes GenX at its Fayetteville Works plant, which is off N.C. 87 in Bladen County near the Cumberland County line. The compound also is a byproduct of other processes at the facility.

GenX has been found in about 760 private wells around the plant, including about 225 at levels above the state’s health goal. While the compound’s effect has not been tested on humans, it has been connected in animal studies to several forms of cancer and other health issues.

The proposed order would require Chemours to generate 97 percent less air emissions of GenX compounds by the end of August and 99 percent less by Dec. 31, 2019. It also would require the company to provide permanent alternative water supplies or treatment systems to households impacted by groundwater contamination and conduct toxicity studies relating to human health and aquatic life impacts from chemicals at the facility.

Chemours took issue in its response with the state’s request that the company reduce GenX air emissions by 97 percent by August. The company said that it has committed to a 72 percent reduction by October and is willing to commit to an 82 percent reduction by that time.

The 97 percent reduction requirement amounts to a demand that the company do what is not technologically possible or shut down the plant, Chemours said.

The company also said that is in the process of a $100 million investment that will satisfy almost all of what the state says it might seek with the proposed court order. Chemours said it is taking that action even though there is no evidence that its operations have adversely impacted anyone’s health.

Five residents who live near the facility provided The Fayetteville Observer with a copy of their comments.

Herman and Randa Dunn, who live on Circle Point Court about a mile from the plant, said residents need help from the state. The solution to the problem shouldn’t be dictated by the company, they said.

“You may not get comments from every household — for various reasons — but know that our communities are standing together on this issue,” the couple said. “We cannot undo the detriments to our health thus far, which, as scientifically proven, may continue into the future, but further contamination must be stopped.”

Mike Watters, who also lives near the plant, asked the department in his comments to base its decisions on the “practical quantitation limit” of a compound, which would allow regulators to take action if a substance that is not naturally occurring is detected in the groundwater. The department uses the state’s provisional health goal in making some determinations regarding GenX.

The state Department of Health and Human Services has set the health goal at 140 parts per trillion. Scientists can now detect GenX at levels below 1 part per trillion.

Four of Watters’ neighbors sent comments agreeing with his position.

“We stand united,” said Bobby J. and Ann Marie Swilley.

A scientist working for Chemours says the health goal should be 70,000 parts per trillion or higher.

Michael Scott, director of the department’s Division of Waste Management, said state officials are reviewing the department’s position on the issue.

The state Science Advisory Board has been discussing the provisional health goal and is expected to make a recommendation on whether it should be higher or lower.

Watters also asked the state to require Chemours to connect homes with wells contaminated with GenX to a public water supply and pay the water bills.

Chemours wants to install water filtration systems on homes with higher levels of GenX. Running municipal water lines to the area would be too costly, it said.

A department spokeswoman said state officials will consider all comments when deciding how to go forward.

Staff writer Steve DeVane can be reached at sdevane@fayobserver.com or 486-3572.

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